Over the last several years activation of PRE applied herbicides with timely rainfall has been more the rule than the exception in Tennessee. That is not the case for most of the state this year. The most common call in this regard the last several days have been on grain sorghum fields where the crop and the weeds have emerged together due to lack of an activating rain on the PRE applied herbicides. Continue reading
As anticipated the dry conditions that we experienced last week and that continue through today are not activating pre applied herbicides. Reports of Palmer amaranth already 1 to 2” tall with emerging crops appears to be common. How to proceed from here on weed management depends upon the crop as well as the herbicide tolerant trait in the crop. Continue reading
With planting hopefully right around the corner, many people are thinking about using Gramoxone (paraquat) as a last minute burndown for its effectiveness and lack of replant interval. Gramoxone is a very good broad spectrum herbicide that is “money” on many winter annual broadleaf weeds and also quite good on poa. On the main winter annual weed horseweed (marestail) though, control can range from 30 to 90%. The question is why? So we conducted research this spring to see if time of day Gramoxone is applied has an effect on horseweed control. Continue reading
In my mind, the past winter was similar to last, with some colder than average conditions. Below is a repeat of an article last year discussing how winter weather affects insect populations. I added some comments, scoring my predictions. Continue reading
I have written a couple of pieces on fomesafen carryover into grain sorghum. I emphasized fomesafen because it is used on almost all soybean acres in Tennessee. However, I would be remiss if I did not add that some other herbicides commonly used in soybean have lengthy plant backs to grain sorghum as well. Continue reading
I have had a number of calls about grain sorghum this week as lower production costs compared to corn and the latest increased premium offered for Memphis delivery have driven up interest in this crop. Check out our newest regional sorghum production guide at utcrops.com. Some pre-plant reminders are included about sorghum for those who have not grown sorghum lately (or ever): Continue reading
A wet and mostly cold March has us well behind the pace for burndown. As soon as the weather permits corn planting will take priority followed by burndown for grain sorghum and early planted soybean. Continue reading
It appears that grain sorghum will be a historically big acre crop this year. A number of these intended fields to be planted to grain sorghum were in soybean last year and had late applications of fomesafen (FlexStar, Prefix, Reflex, Rhythm, Dawn etc). Continue reading